III. That he has been taught, from his earliest days, to depend for acceptance with God on his own deeds of holiness and charity.

IV. And if expecting a Messiah at all, that He should be one coming in princely state to raise the fallen nation, and to lead them forth to conquest and renown.

The Missionary reasons with him out of his own Scripture, and the Jew shelters himself from conviction behind the "brazen walls" of tradition.

The inconsistencies of Christian professors, the idolatry of Romish Christianity, and the force of early habits and associations, all render the Jews, as a people, comparatively impervious to the simple truth of the Gospel. In addition to these, the Missionary to the Jews must do his work wearily and warily with individuals. He cannot gather masses around him, who might, caught by his fervid eloquence, melted by his accents of love, be sent home with the story of the Cross, to search in the Book of God whether these things are so. Nor can he, in many instances, gain the attention of the more influential classes.. Well, be it so: let him be faithful in that which he can do let him ply the heart and conscience while he grapples with prejudice, misconception, and ignorance-his must be the perseverance of faith, and the energy of love; and we, who look on, must give him our sympathies and our prayers, and we must expect greater things than have yet been seen. The God of Abraham may have His eye on some shepherd boy, who shall encounter the Goliath of unbelief-some Paul, whose tears shall fall on the heads and penetrate the hearts of his brethrensome Whitfield or Wesley, whose words shall compel attention, and call forth Jewish sentiment and feeling, under the full power of love, to a newly-discovered Saviour, for the rescue of a perishing world. The cause is advancing agencies are preparing the promise of the Spirit waits on faith and prayer. Oh, Christians, use your privilege; plead with God, and your Mission will prosper-your Missionaries will be blessed!

Jewish Heroism.

PERSECUTION UNDER ANTIOCHUS THE WICKED.

BY THE REV. DR. RAPHALL.

THE savage and insane violence of this tyrant was, in fact-and surely we may say providentially-the safeguard of the Jews against the greatest moral danger to which they had ever been exposed: the slow and insidious, but certain and destructive advance of indifference to religious truth; evidenced by the encroachments and gradual prevalence of Grecian manners, Grecian corruption, Grecian idolatry, and Grecian atheism. King Antiochus and his fanaticism aroused the dormant energies of the Jewish people, so that the zealous attachment to the law and truth of the Lord, united with the generous desire for national independence, gave a tone of exaltation to the character of the people, and evoked an enthusiasm and courage, both passive and active, which set at defiance the utmost power of Antiochus; and which then and ever since has, in the stern hour of trial, animated and sustained the Jews to such an extent, that it has, in fact, rendered them imperishable.

On his arrival at Jerusalem, King Antiochus applied himself to enforce

his decree of conformity and uniformity, by every means in his power. Those whose ready obedience disarmed his wrath, were viewed with favour, and, in some instances, rewarded. But those who proved refractory, were exposed to his utmost rage, since he considered their disobedience at once as rebellion against his royal authority, and as sacrilege against his gods. Accordingly he commanded, and in person superintended, the most horrible tortures of the recusants, and seemed to derive a degree of pleasure from these inhuman spectacles, which kept pace with the increasing agonies of his victims. Eleazar, a man in his ninetieth year, venerated for his piety, and respected for his social position, was denounced as a rebel against the king, inasmuch as, notwithstanding the royal decree, he still adhered to the law of Moses. As this had been proclaimed a capital offence, his life was forfeited; but the royal clemency was offered to him on condition of his publicly eating forbidden meats. On his refusal to do so, the king's officers, with whom he had previously been acquaintedstruck with admiration for his firmness, and with pity at the idea of the tortures the feeble old man would have to endure-offered to provide him with meat which it was lawful for him to eat, but which they would proclaim to be swine's flesh; and this simulated but public submission to the king would be received as sufficient to save his life. His reply deserves to be recorded: "I am now ninety years of age, and have all my lifetime served my God uprightly, and with a good name among my people. Shall I now, on the brink of the grave, and in order to save the few days that in the ordinary course of nature I yet may live, give the lie to my whole life, and become a cause of offence and scandal to my people, some of whom may even be seduced by my example, and may look upon my apostacy as an excuse for their own weakness? Besides, I am too old to learn to lie. As an honest man I have lived; as an honest man let me die." So then he died. A widow and her seven sons were brought before the king in person. He interrogated them separately, beginning with the eldest; and as each of them in succession refused to worship the king's idol, or to renounce the law of God, Antiochus caused them, one after the other, to be put to death in the most horridly painful manner. The mother stood by, and, as each victim was in turn called forth, she encouraged and strongly urged them to remain true to the God and law of Israel. At length the mother and her youngest son, a mere child, were the sole survivors of that noble band of martyrs. Even King Antiochus, the madman, began to relent. Spite of himself, he could not help admiring that firmness of principle and unyielding constancy, which his victims had sealed with their hearts' best blood. He owned, with a sigh of regret, that such men, could they have been gained to his cause, would have proved the most trustworthy support of his throne. The beauty and innocence of the brave boy-who with undaunted eye had witnessed the cruel murder of his brothers, and who now with firm bearing confronted him-interested the king. He entered into a conversation with the boy, painting the charms of a life spent in the fulness of royal favour, and its fruits, wealth and honours, and contrasting them with the horrors of a death, instant, untimely, and most painful. Antiochus used every argument, and held out every promise-in vain; the youthful martyr was not to be seduced. The king was vanquished; the desire to save this infant-hero became almost irresistible in the royal mind. But thousands were crowding round the king's tribunal, and watching this species of duel between the monarch

of all Syria and a child. The royal dignity must not be compromised; some outward act of submission must vindicate the supreme authority. The king, therefore, proposed to the boy that he would grant him life and liberty on one condition-that he should not be required to worship the idol the king had erected, but the king would drop his signet-ring from his hand on the ground, and that the boy should kneel and pick it up. This was an act of respect and courtesy, due to his sovereign, which the law of Moses did not forbid, and which, therefore, could be performed without any scruple of conscience. But the boy perceived the drift of the subterfuge. The surrounding crowds, who could not hear what passed between the king and himself, but who could see whatever was done on the lofty platform on which he stood and the king was seated, would naturally look upon his kneeling or stooping as an act of prostration and of worship to the idol. He would then be execrated by his own people as a traitor to his brothers, and an apostate from his God; and probably this act required of him, and apparently so simple, would eventually leave him no alternative but suicide or apostacy. He, therefore, refused compliance. As a last means, the king had recourse to the intercession of the mother, and strongly urged her to preserve the life of one, at least, of her seven sons, by persuading him to comply with the king's wish, and to perform an act innocent and of no moment in itself, but which became of importance to the king's dignity. The mother, however, was not less firm in her faith than her children. In terms the most pathetic, she urged her only surviving son, her youngest and best beloved, to remain stedfast and faithful, that he might soon rejoin his brothers in heaven. They had again and again declared, that the Supreme King of the world "would raise to everlasting life those who died for His law." Joining in this declaration, and adding the prophetic menace, that his and their tormentor "should have no resurrection to life, but would receive the just punishment of his pride through the punishment of God," the boy declared his determination to share the fate of his brothers. The king's patience was exhausted. His pity baffled, turned into rage. At a given signal, the executioners rushed on their victim; and while his body became a prey to tortures the most revolting, his pure spirit returned to its Father in heaven. The mother followed him. But in her last moments she exultingly exclaimed, "Father Abraham, I have surpassed thee, for thou hast only raised one altar for the sacrifice of one son, whereas I have raised seven altars for the sacrifice of seven sons." So then she died.-Jewish Chronicle.

To these we could add many instances of faith as invincible, and of courage as heroic, under that dispensation which crowns and ennobles that of Judaism;-men who, like Stephen and Paul, revered the God of Abraham, and loved His law as devoutly as the Maccabees, and yet who met without shrinking the martyr's death for the faith of Jesus. Oh, for a band of Jewish heroes, under the full influence of Christian truth, to go to their brethren throughout the world, not counting their lives dear to them, so that Christ may be magnified in the salvation of souls!

Messiah,

AS CONTEMPLATED AND EXPECTED BY JEWS IN FRANCE.

THE Editor of "Archives Israelites" thus writes:-" At the two extremities of the chain which forms the history of the Hebrew people, we behold two links which appear in their gigantic proportions: one commences, the other is to conclude, this history. These two colossal figures are Moses and the Messiah-the Messiah King of a golden age of which the prophets had a glimpse-glorious prospect, which God has set before us as an indemnification for our sufferings, as a support in our efforts, as an encouragement to our faith. For ages our hope has been delayed, but it will be realised at last; for the Word of God will certainly be fulfilled.

The hope in a Messiah is as ancient as Judaism itself. It dates from the time of Moses (Levit. xxvi. 44, 45; Deuter. xxx. 1-10; xxxii. 3443; Numb. xxiv. 17), and perhaps from the first pages of the Pentateuch (Gen. iii. 15; xlix. 10-12)."

The writer then alludes to the variety of interpretations which have been given to the texts which speak of the Messiah, and the different opinions that have prevailed among the Jews, and proceeds to sum up the doctrines which, he tells us, constitute the faith of the synagogue:

"The Messiah will be a man, a royal prophet descended from the house of David, to which alone the right to rule over Israel belongs.

"The Messiah will restore to the people of Israel their ancient nationality and complete independence. The Mosaic edifice will be renewed in its integrity. Possessed of superhuman power, this instrument of Providence will change the face of the world. Faith in the one God will prevail from that time, and Jerusalem will be its metropolis and centre.

"This faith being sincerely professed by all, whatever may be the mode in which it is applied, will produce its national fruits,-peace and universal love. Then there will be no more wars, discord, crime, and public calamities.

"The Messianic period will be essentially temporal; i.e., it will be comprised in this present life. Nevertheless, it will partake in some respects of the character of the life to come, because it will be the consummation of time, and the conclusion of history. The chief points in these analogies will be, the relative perfection of human nature,-continual peace and happiness, an extraordinary longevity, and the resurrection. The advent of Messiah will be signalised by a forerunner, Elijah; by an antichrist, Gog the King of Magog; and lastly, it may be, by the previous appearance of a pseudo-Messiah, a victim to expiate the impenitence of Israel. This victim will be a descendant of Joseph, the Messiah of sufferings and of death. By the shedding of his blood, and by other trials unheard of in history, Israel will be regenerated, and then the glorious Messiah of their redemption will arise.

"As to the time when these solemn events shall come to pass, this is known to God alone. One thing only is certain, that as the especial mission of the Messiah is to put an end to the exile, and this exile is the consequence of the sins of Israel, it depends on us to accelerate the term by a great and complete repentance.

"But as there are some just men in every generation, and those just

men who have died in exile ought not to be disinherited of the immense joys of redemption, God will work a miracle in their behalf, unheard of until that time; for the sacred history presents scarcely one or two single instances of anything resembling it, the elect of Israel, i.e., the just and the penitent, will rise again. Thus scattered on the surface of the globe, or scattered in its dust, all those who are worthy of it will be present at this great restoration. All of them will be invited by the God of Israel to the future banquet, which will endure until the consummation of ages.

"These are the chief elements of the doctrine of the Messiah, such as are contained in the prophecies of the Bible, combined with the assertions of the Talmud, and of our most esteemed teachers. The intelligent reader will doubtless notice the numerous points in which this doctrine resembles that which is held by Trinitarians on the same subject, which is manifestly derived from the same source. Here, more than anywhere else, we see the influence of the Synagogue on the Church."—Jewish Intelligence.

The Ghetto.

The

ENTER the Ghetto, and you feel instantly that you are amongst another race. An indescribable languor reigns over the rest of Rome. Romans walk the streets with their hands in their pockets and their eyes on the ground, for a heavy heart makes the limbs to drag. But in the Ghetto all is activity and thrift. You feel as if you had been suddenly transported into one of the busiest lanes of Manchester or Glasgow. Eager faces, with keen eyes and sharp features, look out upon you from amid the bundles of clothes and piles of all kinds of articles, which darken the doors and windows of their shops. Scarce have you crossed the threshold of the Ghetto, when you are seized by the button, dragged helplessly into a small hole, stuffed with every imaginable sort of merchandise, and invited to buy a dozen things at once. No sooner have you been let go, than you are seized by another and another. The women were seated in the doors of their shops and dwellings, plying busily their needle. One fine Jewish matron I marked with seven buxom daughters round her, all working away with amazing nimbleness, and casting only a momentary glance at the stranger as he passed. How inextinguishable the qualities of this extraordinary people! Here, in this desolate land, and surrounded by the overwhelming torpor and laziness of Rome, the Jews are as industrious and as intent on making gain as their brethren in the commercial cities of Britain. I drew up with a lad of about twenty, by way of feeling the pulse of the Ghetto; but though I tried him on both the past and the present, I succeeded in striking no chord to which he would respond. He seemed one of the prophet's dried bones-very dry. Seventy years did their fathers dwell by the Euphrates; but here, alas! has the harp of Judah hung upon the willow for eighteen centuries. Beneath the dark shadow of the Vatican do they ever think of the sunny and vine-clad hills of their Palestine?

WYLIE.